Pennsylvania (English: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) is a commonwealth in the northwest of the USA, has the rights of a US state. The capital is the city of Harisberg.
History
The first European settlers on the territory of modern Pennsylvania were the Swedes and the Dutch. In 1681, the English king Charles II gave the young English Quaker William Penn a large territory to the west of the Delaware River. In 1682 Penn founded a colony of refuge for the Protestant “Society of Friends” (the official name of the Quakers) and others persecuted for their faith. In honor of Penn’s father, an admiral of the Royal Navy, the colony was named Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania – in Latin Penn Silvania – Woodland of Penn.
At the same time, William Penn, who believed in the idea of brotherly love between co-religionists, founded the city, which he named Philadelphia, which in ancient Greek means the City of Brotherly Love.
The experiment was successful for half a century, but then many settlers of Irish and German origin died as a result of clashes with the Indians. The Quakers (unlike the Puritans in New England) refused to confront the Indians with force, because they could not compromise their moral principles — rejection of wars and violence, religious tolerance — and were forced to withdraw from the political scene of the colony.
In 1751, the first hospital on the territory of the British colonies was opened in Pennsylvania, and the first university, the University of Pennsylvania, was also founded. In 1790, Pennsylvania was the first among North American states to pass a law to free slaves.
Pennsylvania actively participated in the war for independence. In 1776, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (the official name of the state) was adopted. At the same time, the Declaration of Independence was announced by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania, along with twelve other former North American colonies of Great Britain, formed the United States of America.
Judicial system
All courts in Pennsylvania are part of the unified court system. It has three main levels: the small courts, the courts of general jurisdiction, and the intermediate state courts of appeal, called the Commonwealth Court and the Supreme Court. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has administrative authority over the entire court system.
The judicial system of the state in 2018 received $414,309,000 from the state budget, which was 0.5% of the total state budget. At the same time, the court system collects much more fines and fees. That money is distributed among state and local governments, including airport and parking authorities, as well as victim support programs.
Famous people
- Matthew Fox
- Gertrude Stein
- Tom Riegen
- Robert Fulton
- Mary Cassatt
- John Sloan
- Martha Graham(1894-1991) – American dancer, creator of American modern dance
Scranton, Pennsylvania
| Scranton | |
| Place in the United States | |
| Location of Scranton in Pennsylvania | |
| Location of Pennsylvania in the US | |
| Location | |
| County | Lackawanna County |
| Type of place | City |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 41° 25′ N, 75° 40′ WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 66.14 km² |
| – country | 65.54 km² |
| – water | 0.60 km² |
| Inhabitants (2010) |
76,089 (1,161 inhabitant/km²) |
| Height | 227 m |
| Other | |
| Website | scrantonpa.gov |
| Downtown Scranton | |
According to COUNTRYAAH, Scranton is a city in the northeastern United States of Pennsylvania. In 2010, it had a population of 76,089, making it Pennsylvania’s sixth largest city. It is the capital of Lackawanna County and the center of a metropolitan area of half a million inhabitants.
Scranton is the geographic and cultural center of the Lackawanna Valley, a relatively densely populated area between the Pocono Mountains to the east and the Endless Mountains to the west. The city has grown through the iron and steel industry. Scranton is the largest of several former anthracite mining communities. Electric light was introduced in the Dickson Locomotive Works factories in 1880, earning the city the nickname Electric City. Six years later, Scranton had the nation’s first successful electrified streetcar line.
The American television series The Office takes place in a fictional company in Scranton.
Notable residents of Scranton
Born
- Lewis Stillwell (1863-1941), electrical engineer and inventor
- Charles MacArthur (1895-1956), playwright and screenwriter
- Wanda Hawley (1895-1963), actress
- Patrick Aloysius O’Boyle (1896–1987), Roman Catholic Cardinal
- Sonny Burke (1914-1980), big band leader, composer, arranger and producer
- Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), publicist and urban activist
- Lizabeth Scott (1922-2015), actress
- Bud Beynon (1923-2011), soldier
- Charles David Keeling (1928-2005), chemist
- Frank Carlucci (1930-2018), politician
- Timmy Mayer (1938-1964), Formula 1 driver
- Joe Biden (1942), President and Vice President of the United States, Senator and Attorney
- Howard Gardner (1943), psychologist
- Jack Hennigan (1943-2007), organist
- William Kotzwinkle (1943), writer and screenwriter
- GE Smith (1952), guitarist and bandleader
- Mike Dunleavy (1961), Alaska Governor
- Melanie Smith (1962), actress
- Paul Richards (1964), astronaut
- Lauren Weisberger (1977), writer
- Adam Rippon (1989), figure skater
Died
- Václav Nelhýbel (1996), Czech-American composer, musicologist and conductor
- Don Budge (2000), tennis player
- Jason Miller (2001), actor
Allentown, Pennsylvania
| Allentown | |
| Place in the United States | |
| Location of Allentown in Pennsylvania | |
| Location of Pennsylvania in the US | |
| Location | |
| County | Lehigh County |
| Type of place | City |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40° 36′ N, 75° 29′ WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 46.69 km² |
| – country | 45.45 km² |
| – water | 1.24 km² |
| Inhabitants (2010) |
118,032 (2597 inhabitant/km²) |
| Height | 68 m |
| Other | |
| ZIP code(s) | 18101, 18102, 18103, 18104, 18105, 18106, 18109, 18175, 18195 |
| FIPS code | 02000 |
| Website | allentownpa.gov |
Allentown is a city in the US state of Pennsylvania and has a population of 106,632. This makes it the 215th city in the United States (2000). Its surface is 45.8 km 2, making it the 222nd city.
Demographics
15.1 % of the population is older than 65 and 33.1 % consists of single – person households. Unemployment is 4.2 % (census figures 2000).
About 24.4% of Allentown’s population is Hispanic and Hispanic, 7.8% of African origin and 2.3% of Asian origin.
The population increased from 105,473 in 1990 to 106,632 in 2000.
Climate
In January the average temperature is -3.0 °C, in July it is 23.4 °C. Annual average rainfall is 1105.4 mm (data based on the measurement period 1961-1990).
Born
- Keith Jarrett (1945), pianist
- Marty Nothstein (1971), cyclist
- Michaela Conlin (1978), actress
- Amanda Seyfried (1985), actress
- Dane DeHaan (1987), actor
- Lil Peep (1996), singer and rapper
Died
- Sarah Knauss (1880-1999), oldest North American and second oldest human ever
Trivia
The town of Allentown and its ailing steel industry is sung in Billy Joel ‘s song ‘Allentown’.
